Lathrop site eyed for dispatch center

Clay Twp. wants to shed duties; County Council hears plans.

Clay Twp. wants to shed duties; County Council hears plans.

May 24, 2006|JAMES WENSITS Tribune Political Writer

SOUTH BEND -- County officials expressed optimism Tuesday that work can begin soon on a new county dispatch and emergency communication and operations center. The center, which would be located on a county-owned site on Lathrop Street, north of South Bend Regional Airport, would combine township fire and county police dispatching with county emergency service operations. It is expected to cost $8 million to $10 million, and would likely be financed through a combination of federal grants and a local bond issue. How soon work might begin isn't clear, although it appears unlikely, due to the size and cost of the project, that work would begin before 2007 or even 2008. Time is of the essence, according to former Clay Township Trustee Bill Mihelich, who is spearheading the project under the direction of current Trustee Rob Thomas and county officials. Mihelich presented plans for the project during a St. Joseph County Council committee meeting on Tuesday. Clay Township has been providing dispatch services for the county but hopes to end that operation and let the county take over. According to County Commissioner Steve Ross, D-District 2, the dispatch effort is putting a financial burden on Clay Township and is also starting to outstrip that unit's ability to serve the county's needs. As contemplated, the dispatch center would combine fire and county police communications, plus bring in the county's emergency management operation. At 35,000 to 40,000 square feet in size, the new center would likely allow the county to relocate operations from the current emergency management building and from the county police station, which occupy rented facilities near the airport. Also contemplated for the site is the construction of a new county morgue to replace the current morgue at Memorial Hospital and, in a separate building, a new county vehicle maintenance center. "It's an ideal location," said Ross, who noted that the morgue facility could end up being shared with Elkhart County. According to Mihelich, South Bend's dispatch operation would stay in the city, effectively providing both the county and South Bend centers with a redundant location in the event that one is knocked out by a storm or other emergency. Ross stressed the importance of finding funding for the operation saying, "I don't want to be New Orleans." Although the goal is a new building, Mihelich said officials recently toured the Gates Chevy World building in downtown South Bend as a possible alternative site. That building is solid, Mihelich said, but is much bigger than needed. Its location so close to the South Bend dispatch center on Sample Street could also be a liability, according to County Council Member Mark Catanzarite, D-District G, because a single event could affect both locations.